The definite article, accessibility, and the construction of discourse referents*

In this article, I argue that neither of the two main approaches to definiteness, familiarity or unique identifiability, provide necessary or sufficient conditions for the use of the definite article in English. I propose instead that the basic meaning of the article is to signal the accessibility of a discourse referent, more specifically, the availability of an access path through a configuration of mental spaces, or cognitive domains. Speakers employ the article to construct discourse referents under various conceptual guises, as well as to guide addressees in establishing mental spaces and appropriate connections between the elements in those spaces. The access paths are underspecified by the grammar, so the article is compatible with a range of functions in addition to unique identifiability (familiarity): discourse prominence, role/value status, and point-of-view shifts. The analysis is supported by a range of new types of empirical evidence gleaned from an examination of naturally occurring discourse.